A vehicle configured to operate in an autonomous mode may operate a sensor to determine an environment of the vehicle. The sensor may be configured to obtain sensor data of a sensed portion of the environment. The sensed portion may be defined by a sensor parameter. Based on the environment of the vehicle, the vehicle may select at least one parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter such that the sensed portion of the environment corresponds to a region of interest. The vehicle may operate the sensor, using the selected at least one parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter, to obtain sensor data of the region of interest, and control the vehicle in the autonomous mode based on the sensor data of the region of interest.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A method comprising: determining, using a computer system, one or more characteristics of an environment of a vehicle, wherein the one or more characteristics include a type of road on which the vehicle is traveling, wherein the vehicle is configured to operate in an autonomous mode and comprises a sensor configured to obtain sensor data of a sensed portion of the environment, wherein the sensed portion is defined by at least one sensor parameter; based at least on whether the type of road on which the vehicle is traveling is a surface road or a freeway, adjusting at least one parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter such that the sensed portion of the environment corresponds to a region of interest, wherein the at least one sensor parameter comprises a direction parameter that defines a range of directions from the vehicle in which the sensor obtains sensor data, wherein adjusting the at least one parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter comprises reducing an angular range for the direction parameter to a value less than 360 degrees; operating the sensor, using the adjusted at least one parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter, to obtain sensor data of the region of interest; and controlling the vehicle in the autonomous mode based on the sensor data of the region of interest.
An autonomous vehicle determines the type of road it's on (surface road or freeway). It uses a sensor to scan the surrounding environment, focusing on a specific area determined by sensor parameters. One of these parameters is the sensor's direction range. If the vehicle is on a freeway, the direction range is narrowed to focus the sensor on a smaller area (less than 360 degrees). The sensor gathers data from this focused region, and the vehicle's autonomous driving system uses that data to control the vehicle. This improves performance by focusing the sensors on relevant regions based on the driving environment.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor parameter further comprises a distance parameter that defines a range of distances from the vehicle in which the sensor obtains sensor data, and wherein adjusting at least one parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter comprises adjusting a distance for the distance parameter.
The method described in Claim 1 also adjusts the sensor's distance range. The sensor parameter includes a distance setting. This distance parameter, defining how far away the sensor looks, is adjusted in addition to the direction (angular) range to define the sensed portion of the environment. The autonomous vehicle adjusts both the direction and distance the sensor uses for collecting data.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the type of road on which the vehicle is traveling is a surface road and wherein the adjusted distance corresponds to a maximum range of the sensor.
Continuing from Claim 2, if the autonomous vehicle is driving on a surface road, the distance parameter for the sensor is set to the maximum range of the sensor. So, on surface roads, the sensor uses its full reach, but its angular view might be limited from 360 degrees, presumably to focus on immediately surrounding objects and events.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the adjusted distance is less than a maximum range of the sensor.
Building on Claim 2, the distance parameter for the sensor can be adjusted to a value less than the maximum range of the sensor. Instead of always using the maximum sensor distance, the system can use a shortened distance.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the type of road on which the vehicle is traveling is a freeway and wherein the adjusted distance corresponds to two lanes from the vehicle.
Building on Claim 4, if the autonomous vehicle is on a freeway, the sensor's distance range is adjusted to only include the two lanes closest to the vehicle. This reduces the amount of sensor data to process, focusing on relevant nearby vehicles in adjacent lanes.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein reducing the angular range comprises reducing the angular range from a 360 degree range to a range of angles in front of the vehicle.
Building on Claim 1, the reduction of the sensor's angular range involves narrowing the field of view from a full 360 degrees to only include the area directly in front of the vehicle. The autonomous system is focusing on what's directly ahead.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor parameter further comprises a height parameter that defines a range of heights above the ground in which the sensor obtains sensor data, and wherein adjusting at least one parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter comprises adjusting a height range for the height parameter based on a current direction of the at least one sensor.
The method in Claim 1 further considers sensor height. The sensor parameter includes a height setting. The height range from the ground is adjusted based on the current direction the sensor is pointed. This allows for dynamically adjusting the vertical field of view based on the horizontal direction.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining one or more characteristics of the environment of the vehicle comprises at least one of receiving a terrain map defining the environment of the vehicle, comparing a terrain map defining the environment of the vehicle to sensor data obtained by the at least one sensor, determining the number of lanes in the environment, determining the presence of a median in the environment, determining a shape of a road in the environment, determining a speed limit in the environment, determining a speed of the vehicle in the environment, determining a speed of other vehicles in the environment, determining a presence of pedestrians in the environment, determining a presence of a traffic light in the environment, or determining a presence of a cross walk in the environment.
In Claim 1, determining the environment of the autonomous vehicle involves one or more of the following: using a pre-existing terrain map, comparing sensor data to a terrain map, determining the number of lanes, identifying the presence of a median, determining the road's shape, determining the speed limit, knowing the vehicle's speed, sensing other vehicle speeds, detecting pedestrians, sensing traffic lights, or detecting crosswalks. The system uses any or all of these to define the environment.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: determining an activity of the vehicle in the environment; based on the activity of the vehicle, adjusting at least one new parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter to define a new region of interest in the environment; operating the sensor, using the adjusted at least one new parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter, to obtain sensor data of the new region of interest; and controlling the vehicle in the autonomous mode based on the sensor data of the new region of interest.
In addition to Claim 1, the autonomous vehicle system also determines its own activity (e.g., turning). Based on this activity, it adjusts the sensor parameters to define a new region of interest. The sensor gathers data from this new region, and the vehicle is controlled based on this newly gathered data. This allows the vehicle to dynamically change its sensor focus based on its actions.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein determining the activity of the vehicle in the environment comprises determining that the vehicle is making a turn.
Building on Claim 9, the vehicle's activity includes determining that it is making a turn. During a turn, the sensor parameters will be adjusted to redefine the sensor focus.
11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: determining an activity of an object in the environment; based on the activity of the object, adjusting at least one new parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter to define a new region of interest in the environment; operating the sensor, using the adjusted at least one new parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter, to obtain sensor data of the new region of interest; and controlling the vehicle in the autonomous mode based on the sensor data of the new region of interest.
Complementary to Claim 9, the autonomous vehicle system determines the activity of *other objects* in the environment. Based on those activities, the system adjusts sensor parameters to define a new region of interest. The vehicle is controlled based on data from this new region. This provides dynamic adjustment of sensor parameters based on actions of surrounding vehicles and pedestrians.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the region of interest comprises a front distance from the vehicle and a side distance from the vehicle, and wherein the region of interest while the vehicle is traveling on a freeway corresponds to the region of interest having a front distance that is greater than the side distance.
Building on Claim 1, the "region of interest" is defined by a front distance and a side distance from the vehicle. When the vehicle is on a freeway, the front distance is set to be greater than the side distance. The sensor is focusing its attention more towards the front than to the sides on freeways.
13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising one or more data processing parameters corresponding to sensor data of the at least one sensor, adjusting the one or more data processing parameters to detect traffic lights and to determine the states of the detected traffic lights from the sensor data when the vehicle is on a surface road, and adjusting the one or more data processing parameters to turn off traffic light detection when the vehicle is on a freeway.
Building on Claim 1, data processing parameters applied to the sensor data can also be adjusted. When on a surface road, these parameters are set to detect traffic lights and determine their status. When on a freeway, traffic light detection is turned off. This optimizes data processing based on the road type.
14. A vehicle comprising: a sensor configured to obtain sensor data of a sensed portion of an environment, wherein the sensed portion is defined by at least one sensor parameter, and wherein the vehicle is configured to operate in an autonomous mode; and a computer system, wherein the computer system is configured to: determine one or more characteristics of the environment of the vehicle, wherein the one or more characteristics include a type of road on which the vehicle is traveling; based at least on whether the type of road on which the vehicle is traveling is a surface road or a freeway, adjust at least one parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter such that the sensed portion of the environment corresponds to a region of interest, wherein the at least one sensor parameter comprises a direction parameter that defines a range of directions from the vehicle in which the sensor obtains sensor data, wherein the range of directions from the vehicle in which the sensor obtains data comprises a first angular range of directions, and wherein adjusting the at least one parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter comprises adjusting the range of directions from the vehicle in which the sensor obtains data to a second angular range, wherein the second angular range is smaller than the first angular range; operate the sensor, using the adjusted at least one parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter, to obtain sensor data of the region of interest; and control the vehicle in the autonomous mode based on the sensor data of the region of interest.
An autonomous vehicle has a sensor that obtains data from its surroundings, and a computer system. The sensor's focus area is controlled by parameters. The computer determines the type of road (surface road or freeway). Based on the road type, the computer adjusts the sensor parameters, including the direction (angular) range, narrowing it from a first, wider range to a second, smaller range. The sensor then gathers data, and the vehicle is controlled based on that data.
15. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the computer system is further configured to: determine an activity of the vehicle in the environment; based on the activity of the vehicle, adjust at least one new parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter to define a new region of interest in the environment; operate the sensor, using the adjusted at least one new parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter, to obtain sensor data of the new region of interest; and control the vehicle in the autonomous mode based on the sensor data of the new region of interest.
Building on Claim 14, the computer system also determines the autonomous vehicle's activity (turning, etc.). Based on the vehicle's activity, the computer adjusts sensor parameters to define a new region of interest, gathers sensor data from this new region, and controls the vehicle accordingly.
16. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the computer system is further configured to: determine an activity of an object in the environment; based on the activity of the object, adjust at least one new parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter to define a new region of interest in the environment; operate the sensor, using the adjusted at least one new parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter, to obtain sensor data of the new region of interest; and control the vehicle in the autonomous mode based on the sensor data of the new region of interest.
Building on Claim 14, the computer system also determines the activity of other objects in the environment. Based on the other object's activity, the computer adjusts sensor parameters to define a new region of interest, gathers sensor data from this new region, and controls the vehicle accordingly.
17. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the first angular range comprises a 360 degree range and the second angular range comprises an angular range less than 360 degrees.
Building on Claim 14, the initial angular range of the sensor is a full 360 degrees, which is then narrowed to less than 360 degrees by the computer system.
18. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein instructions executable by a computer system to cause the computer system to perform functions comprising: determining one or more characteristics of an environment of a vehicle, wherein the one or more characteristics include a type of road on which the vehicle is traveling, wherein the vehicle is configured to operate in an autonomous mode and comprises a sensor configured to obtain sensor data of a sensed portion of the environment, wherein the sensed portion is defined by at least one sensor parameter; based at least on whether the type of road on which the vehicle is traveling is a surface road or a freeway, adjusting at least one parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter such that the sensed portion of the environment corresponds to a region of interest, wherein the at least one sensor parameter comprises a direction parameter that defines a range of directions from the vehicle in which the sensor obtains sensor data, wherein the range of directions from the vehicle in which the sensor obtains data comprises a first angular range of directions, and wherein adjusting the at least one parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter comprises adjusting the range of directions from the vehicle in which the sensor obtains data to a second angular range, wherein the second angular range is smaller than the first angular range; operating the sensor, using the adjusted at least one parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter, to obtain sensor data of the region of interest; and controlling the vehicle in the autonomous mode based on the sensor data of the region of interest.
A computer-readable medium (e.g., software) controls an autonomous vehicle. The software determines the road type (surface road or freeway). Based on the road type, it adjusts sensor parameters, including the direction (angular) range, narrowing it from a first, wider range to a second, smaller range. The sensor then gathers data, and the vehicle is controlled based on that data.
19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the instructions are further executable by the computing system to perform functions comprising: determining an activity of the vehicle in the environment; based on the activity of the vehicle, adjusting at least one new parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter to define a new region of interest in the environment; operating the sensor, using the adjusted at least one new parameter value for the at least one sensor parameter, to obtain sensor data of the new region of interest; and controlling the vehicle in the autonomous mode based on the sensor data of the new region of interest.
Building on Claim 18, the software also determines the autonomous vehicle's activity (turning, etc.). Based on the vehicle's activity, the software adjusts sensor parameters to define a new region of interest, gathers sensor data from this new region, and controls the vehicle accordingly.
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September 25, 2015
August 1, 2017
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